Anyone else find the "Jedi/Force" angle one of the least interesting aspects of the saga?

When the original film was released in 1977, I was intrigued by the backstory of the Jedi Knights and the Force presented in the film, and thought it worked fine in the limited context in which it was presented. However, what reeled me in was the military aspect of the struggle between Rebellion and Empire, and the character pair of Han Solo and Chewbacca in particular. For me, the Jedi angle was merely icing on the cake.

In the OT sequels, the Jedi/Force angle was expanded, and yet still seemed to be well balanced against the more "down to earth"(if such a phrase is permitted relating to STAR WARS)aspect of the battle between the oppressive militaristic Imperial forces and the freedom fighters of the Rebel Alliance. IN ESB, Luke's training with Yoda was certainly interesting, but for me, didn't really hold a candle to the exploits of Han, Leia, Chewbacca and 3PO aboard the Falcon as they ran for their lives. They were the "everyman" underdogs that were made for rooting for.

This is what is absent for me in the Prequel Trilogy, in which the Jedi, their order, their beliefs and their disciplines are center stage. They are stoic, regal, proper and, well...not very interesting. There is no counterbalance to the stateliness of the Jedi, no alternative to the pomp and circumstance of the Republic and its endless political machinations. (Mind you, I'm no prequel basher. I enjoy the films to varying degrees, but they just seem to be somewhat "off" to me, mainly because the whole Jedi aspect is so overwhelming with no counterbalance).

As of late, the common representative symbol of the SW saga is probably that of a Jedi Knight holding a lightsaber, but for me, it will always be Solo and Chewbacca in the Millenium Falcon, dodging fire from Imperial starships.

Anyone else feel this way?

 

Yes.
Though I loved Luke and Ben in Star Wars and Empire--particularly Star Wars, where what the force was was very vague, it could almost have been seen as something like Zen teaching, not the Dungeons and Dragons style magic it became. Already in Empire it got a little annoying, when vader could absord blaster bolts with his hands and steel Hans blaster and throw kitchen sinks at Luke.

 

I completely understand where you're going with all of this. But, you're talking about two different time periods. The PT and the OT. The PT, in my mind, was a great way to add depth and back story to everything we saw in the OT ... almost everything. In the OT you have rebellions and crime on the rise, Han and Chewy riding around smuggling and saving the World. In the PT you have elegance, grace and sophistication. Something that was dominated by the most powerful ruling force in the Galaxy, the Jedi. Of course they're going to be the symbol of the Republic and arguably the symbol of the Saga like you pointed out. It just depends on your point of view (Oh boy, here we go again on point of views, ) and how you view the Saga. Do you view the Saga through a OT standpoint (like you do) or does someone view the Saga from a PT standpoint? It could even be a little bit of both. But bottom line, everyone views the Saga differently and they each have their own perspectives on it.

 

Thanks for the feedback.

In the OT you have rebellions and crime on the rise, Han and Chewy riding around smuggling and saving the World. In the PT you have elegance, grace and sophistication. Something that was dominated by the most powerful ruling force in the Galaxy, the Jedi. Of course they're going to be the symbol of the Republic and arguably the symbol of the Saga like you pointed out.

That perfectly illustrates my feelings regarding what I see as a deficiency in the main characters of the PT. In the OT, the characters we were asked to identify with and root for were all underdogs, constantly in peril at the hands of the ruling force, the Empire(even Luke, who was definitely an underdog as a lone fledgling Jedi and a rebel pilot). The seemingly impossible odds they faced and overwhelmed were the reason we found ourselves pushing for them and gaining affection for them.

In the PT, the Jedi are indeed the powerful ruling cadre, with very little in the way of formidable adverserial forces allied against them to generate dramatic conflict. They are relatively at the top of their game, and the most difficult task presented them is simply maintaining the status quo. As long as they don't screw up too badly, things stay relatively the same for them. They are the SW equivalent of The New York Yankees...undeniably great at what they do, on the winning end for more times than seems possible, but badly in need of a formidable opponent to give them a good butt kicking to shake them out of their complacency. This really doesn't happen with any dramatic weight until ROTS, which I think is the reason why that film is the most well received of the PT films. In ROTS, the Jedi ARE the underdogs, and therefore, much more easily rooted for, as they have the most to lose.

 

well IDigMetalBikinis i feel the opposite.
the force and jedi plots are my favorite parts of the saga (i usually skip over the han and leia parts of ESB) but thats what makes star wars great: different people like it for different reasons.
good thread

 

** **
took the words right out of my mouth, IDigMetalBikinis
TOUCHE

 

I'm with DF on this. I've always found the Force/Jedi part of SW to be the best part. The Rebellion vs the Empire is also a great part of it but I've always felt that the more important and interesting story was the Jedi vs the Sith. Perhaps thats why I like the PT as much as I do. Sometimes when watching ROTJ, after Anakin kills the emperor and returns to the light I feel like the movies over, then it goes back to Lando and the DSII and I think, "Oh yeah, they still have to blow up the Death Star." Not that I find the Battle of Endor forgettable, its my favorite space battle in SW. The story feels complete after the Emperor is destroyed and Anakin returns to the light side of the Force.

And on the topic of underdogs, I would argue that the jedi in the PT are underdogs as well. I mean, the galaxy they protect is on the verge of war in AOTC and they've discovered that the sith have resurfaced without them even knowing. On top of that, the leader of the sith has managed to secure a position of great power in the Republic. The jedi's ability to use the Force is weakening and they are working for the bad guys and they don't even know it. They appear to be in power and in control but in reality it is the sith who are in control and the jedi don't even realize it. While its definatly not as obvious as it is in the OT, I think the good guys can definatly be considered underdogs in the PT as well.

EDIT- Typos

 

Yup, couldn't agree more with that assesment..

I'm primarily in it for the atmosphere, locales, set decoration, costuming and background characters... it's a big beautiful music video in a sense

 

To me it used to always be Han et al..... since the PT has been out though, Solo and the Monkey mean far less to me - and im 35 - prime OT age. I prefer the PT. Yes it has some SERIOUS flaws in it. So did the OT. The same ones in fact (his lordships direction....)

I now see the whole thing as far different - i see vader as a weak fool - with no balls at all. I used to see him as malevolent and evilly(!!) majestic. mind you, Yodas fliping silly backward speak gets on my nerves (like an annoying uncle - "told you so...")

yowser

 

My fav character from the OT has always been Han Solo. But the reason for I LOVE SW is the entire question of the Force.

 

The-shrude-dude wrote:

since the PT has been out though, Solo and the Monkey mean far less to me

Hey! What the...?!! How DARE you?!?!

Every time someone calls his daddy a monkey, it makes Lumpy cry.

 

I was always more interested in the Jedi,but during the OT its kinda obvious Lucas hadn't really made up his mind about them.

But when the PT came out,I was so intrigued about all of it, I'm just a huge fan of the Jedi Order.

 

Quite frankly the Jedi/force aspect of the saga is what makes Star Wars. If it didn't have Jedi, it would be just another Star Trek and we can't have that now can we??

 

Darth Juggalo said...

Quite frankly the Jedi/force aspect of the saga is what makes Star Wars. If it didn't have Jedi, it would be just another Star Trek and we can't have that now can we??

Interesting that you should make that point.

As I said, I always found the Jedi/Force angle in the OT well balanced with the other elements of the story, with one or two Jedi interacting with many other types of characters.

I feel the PT itself changed the flavor of the SW saga to something CLOSER TO STAR TREK with the overwhelming prominence of Jedi, maintaining their position of ruling authority while sitting in their ivory towers, espousing their platitudes about the Force(with very little emotion) at the drop of a hat.

It's not that I don't find the Jedi and the Sith and the Force interesting.....but to paraphrase an old adage: "Too much of anything, even Jedi and the Force, isn't necessarily a good thing".

 

I find the Jedi and the Force in general the most interesting parts but, many of my favorite moments in the OT have nothing to do with the Force and Solo is one of my favorite characters in the Saga at all. I like the fact that Solo is there to act as a foil to Luke's Jedi. Chewie was one of my favorite portions as well.

I however don't think either the Jedi or the Smuggling aspect makes it like Star Trek because both are not common in Star Trek which has in my opinion, far less of the sense of adventure.